CHICAGO - The eastern half of the United States was awash in bad weather Tuesday night as a pair of storm fronts marched through bringing snow, rain and bitter cold weather to the region.

Blizzard and winter storm warnings were posted in the Great Lakes region, while severe thunderstorms were rumbling through parts of Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. Winds up to 60 miles per hour were forecast for areas such as Cincinnati, and freezing rain was on the menu for the areas east of Philadelphia and New York.

WGN-TV in Chicago reported some of the most dramatic temperature drops in more than a decade with the mercury tumbling from a high of 48 at O'Hare International Airport down to 16 at 8 p.m. CST. The station said the increasing winds left about 3,000 customers without power and reduced visibility on the roads.

Temperatures were frigid in the Great Plains and heavy snow warnings were posted in Idaho and Montana. The cold rain falling in the San Francisco Bay Area was expected to last until Super Bowl Sunday.